Dear Heloise: We love fresh strawberries at our house, but frequently a few of them spoil in the container before we can use them all. We discovered a way to help prevent this:

When you bring them home from the grocery store, place them in a bowl and add water with a couple of tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in it to just cover the berries. Stir them a little to make contact throughout, let them sit for about 10 minutes, then rinse. Pat them dry (wet strawberries spoil much faster) and put them in the fridge.

We almost never have rotten strawberries anymore. — Brenda Claassen, in Lincoln, Nebraska

BUDGETING QUESTION

Dear Heloise: In answer to Meg A., in Michigan, about some good hints on budgeting, may I offer what has worked much better for me for over 70 years? When I shared this advice with my grandson, he later told me that it was the best advice he had ever received.

When faced with an impulse buy, ask yourself this question: How many hours am I willing to work to acquire this product? If you are not willing to work a certain amount of hours for the item, you don’t need it. — Dale Hardin, La Habra, California

DONATIONS

Dear Heloise: This is advice to check your charitable donations carefully. A retired friend of mine was a supervisor at Goodwill for many years. He said we wouldn’t believe the cash and other valuable items that people accidentally donated when they did not check inside pockets of clothing or between the pages of books that they donated.

Another friend chimed in and said, “Yes, I left a pair of diamond earrings in my coat pocket, then donated the coat. They were sentimental to me.” I myself erred and once gave away a book with a sentimental inscription. I checked my whole bookshelf after this! — Cate, in Oregon

DOUBLE-DIPPING

Dear Heloise: It appears to me that in the letter about the gender reveal party, the daughter-in-law was more interested in receiving gifts than the reveal. Since it was a gender reveal, you would need to bring a unisex gift since the sex is not known. She also probably expects someone to have a baby shower for her, which is like double-dipping, in my opinion. — C.L.B.

ANIMALS NEED SHADE

Dear Heloise: I work as a volunteer at an animal shelter in Los Angeles, and every year, we see animals who are left out in the summer heat by thoughtless people. Animals need shade and shelter from the heat and lots of cool water to drink. Fill a kiddie swimming pool with clean water and let them get in to cool off. — Amy, in Georgia

SLOW-RUNNING TOILET

Dear Readers: Is your toilet running slow? You may have calcium buildup in your tank, which can clog the flush holes under the rim of the toilet.

Here’s the hint: Add several drops of blue food coloring to a 1/2 gallon of vinegar. Remove the tank lid and pour the vinegar straight into the overflow tube. You will see the blue vinegar seep into the bowl. Let the acid of the vinegar do its magic for 30 minutes; the vinegar will dissolve the calcium. Then flush. — Heloise

(Send a money-saving or time-saving hint to Heloise@Heloise.com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.)